Freedom for the Revolutionary Human Rights Advocate Hossam Bahgat

Statement by the Revolutionary Socialists

Since his summons on Sunday morning, investigative journalist and revolutionary human rights advocate Hossam Bahgat has been detained in the depths of military intelligence custody, with no one knowing his whereabouts.

Military Intelligence—an institution that has been repeatedly mentioned since the January 25 Revolution—has always been linked to the most heinous crimes and human rights violations against Egyptians. It has played a central role in crushing the revolution and restoring a regime of terror and tyranny, this time in its most brutal and savage form.

The name of this repressive institution appears in the testimonies of young activists who were abducted from the outskirts of Tahrir Square during the sit-ins before Mubarak’s ouster. This institution oversaw military prisons where revolutionaries endured the worst forms of torture. It is also responsible for the infamous “virginity tests” crime, which remains etched in the memory of Egypt’s activists. Furthermore, it runs the largest facility for torture and enforced disappearances—the notorious Azouli military prison. It is, in short, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s fortress, through which he led the military coup and carried out the most horrific acts of mass murder, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and torture against the Egyptian people.

This is the same military intelligence apparatus that has now abducted Hossam Bahgat, a journalist who played one of the most prominent roles in exposing state crimes—particularly those related to the persecution of Copts, torture, and the suppression of freedom of expression.

Hossam Bahgat is now facing a military trial simply because he is a journalist, a human rights advocate, and a revolutionary—because he published an investigative report based on publicly available official documents, namely a military court ruling against 26 army officers accused of plotting a coup.
The abduction of Hossam Bahgat and his military prosecution is not merely an attack on his freedom; it is a significant escalation in the ongoing crackdown on journalists and the remnants of independent media aimed at silencing free voices and crushing dissent.

The Revolutionary Socialists Movement declares its full solidarity with Hossam Bahgat against his military trial for publishing an article. The movement will continue to fight for democratic rights and freedoms—most notably, press freedom, independence, and the right to protest—until this bloodstained tyrannical regime, led by former military intelligence chief Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, is overthrown, no matter how long it takes.

No to military trials for civilians! Down with Sisi and his regime!